Push and Pull
by bagelcat1
Summary: The Winchesters help a very special little girl and gain something from the experience. A tale of sparkles, secrets and brotherly love. (No Slash, not Wincest.) Complete May 18, 2018
1. Chapter 1

I didn't notice. I had been thinking about the puzzle Dr. Pete had given me. I liked Dr. Pete, he was nice. Not like Dr. Katts. We saw her last year. I didn't like Dr. Katts. Her name was a trick because I knew that Dr. Katts didn't like cats. I could tell because the doctor's sparkles were a dull brown with a bit of purple and green, but no blue. People who like animals have blue sparkles. Dr. Katts was not nice.

Dr. Malone had blue sparkles. I know that he had a big dog named Max at home. Some of his sparkles were blue, but most were dark green. Dr. Malone was the next doctor but he made Mommy mad. When the doctor told Mommy that she should send me to stay at a special school, Mommy's sparkles got red and purple. That's what happens when she gets mad. Usually Mommy's sparkles are yellow with some blue and pink and little bit of green. We never went back to see Dr. Malone. Then we met Dr. Pete. His real name is Dr. Piotrowski, but he says that everyone calls him Dr. Pete because it's easier. His sparkles are greeny yellow with lots of blue and pink.

Dr. Pete and I talk every Saturday afternoon. Sometimes he asks me questions about the sparkles I see, and other things. I don't like talking. Words feel funny on my tongue. I like it better when he has me do different kinds of puzzles. I like puzzles. Today he gave me one to take home. It's made of wood and when it's put together it turns into a ball. Dr. Pete took it apart before he gave it to me and told me to see if I can figure out how to make it into a ball again. It's really cool and I was imagining how the pieces would go back together in my head. That's why I didn't notice Mommy until she had stopped the car.

Mommy has a condition that makes her sick sometimes. When Mommy starts feeling sick, her sparkles start to turn orange. At first it's just a little bit and when I see, I tell her to have a snack. Mommy will eat a snack or one of her special candies from her purse and then she's okay again. She gives me a hug and calls me her Abby alarm. Which is silly. She should call me the Mommy alarm because I'm Abby and she's Mommy. But I like how she smiles at me when she says it, so I don't mind.

Mommy pulled the car into a church parking lot. I saw the pretty coloured windows. Usually we go straight home after Dr. Pete so that Mommy can get dinner ready before she has to go to work. I could see the puzzle pieces in my mind, so I wasn't paying attention. But after a few minutes I noticed that Mommy's sparkles were orange - dark orange. That's not good. I open the clips on my seat. I just turned 6 years old, but Mommy says I'm still small for my age so I have to ride in the back in the special seat. She doesn't know that I can open the clips.

I crawled into the front seat. Mommy's eyes are closed and she's all sweaty. So I shook her arm hard, but she didn't wake up. I leaned really close to her face and shouted "Mommy" right at her. But she still didn't wake up. I even put my hand on her cheek and pushed. I knew I needed to get Mommy help, but I didn't know where we were. I looked out the window and I saw a few people, but their sparkles were wrong. One lady was dragging a little boy by the arm. Her sparkles were red and purple, so I knew she was mad. Another man had dark brown sparkles with orange and red in them. He gave me a funny feeling so I didn't want to talk to him. I decided that I had to go find someone to help Mommy.

I opened the door. It was very heavy. Even though it's sunny and warm, I felt scared. I heard some music not too far away, so I walked in that direction. I went around the church and walked down two blocks. It's hot and I'm scared at leaving Mommy, so I try and be small and stay by the edge of the buildings. The music is coming from a park by the water. There are lots of people walking around looking at shiny cars. I smell popcorn and those little mini donuts that Miss Susan sometimes lets me have when I stay with her. I stay with Miss Susan when Mommy goes to work. Miss Susan has blue sparkles and two cats. One is skinny and his name is Casper. He's all white with one black paw. The other is named Walter and he's big and fluffy and orange. I wish Miss Susan was here because I know she would help Mommy.

I looked around to see if I could find the right person to help. There were lots of people, but most of them had light brown sparkles, or pink sparkles or green, even some blue ones. But nobody felt safe. A strange lady looked like she was going to come over and say something to me, but I hid behind a shiny red car. Then I saw the right person.

He was standing beside a big black car. And he was very big too, like a giant. He has longish brown hair, a blue plaid shirt and jeans. I would have been scared of him except for his sparkles. They were the best sparkles I had ever seen. He had so many colours - more than even my jumbo box of crayons. There were lots of different shades of greens and yellows and blues and pinks, like normal, but he also had pretty light purple sparkles and bright red sparkles and even black ones that I'd never seen before. But mostly he had gold and silver sparkles. I wondered if other people could see them. Mommy said that I'm the only one who can see sparkles, but his were so bright it seemed weird that one one else could see. I knew he would help Mommy. I was so happy to see him that I ran over and hugged his leg.

xxxxxxx

Sam was enjoying the day. The sun was warm on his skin and a soft breeze was tickling his hair. He was waiting by the Impala for Dean, but he wasn't impatient. Sam could see his brother. Dean was a couple of rows over talking to the owner of another car. The sign propped against the engine described it as a 1969 Impala SS 427 convertible in Butternut Yellow. Sam had very little interest in classic american muscle cars, other than the one they called home, but when he'd seen the sign for the car show at the gas station, he knew this was something Dean would love. His brother deserved some car talk with fellow enthusiasts, the opportunity to show off his Baby to an appreciative audience, and all the food on a stick he could eat. It was unusual to see Dean so excited and carefree - he could see Dean's grin from here, so Sam was happy to enjoy the beautiful afternoon as he waited for his brother.

Closing his eyes for a minute, Sam turned his face towards the mid-afternoon sun when suddenly he felt a jolt. He glanced down and saw a little girl clinging to his jeans. Sam automatically looked around for the parent who would no doubt be chasing after the child. It wasn't the first time a kid had mistaken his leg for their parent's. He supposed when you were only 3 foot tall, the world was a sea of legs that looked pretty much the same.

"Hey, are you lost?," Sam asked in a soft tone. Usually children found his height scary, so he tried hard to at least make his voice less frightening. The small blonde girl just leaned back to look up at him with big grey-blue eyes. She didn't seem afraid, and she didn't let go of his jeans, but she didn't respond, so Sam crouched down, trying to get closer to eye level.

"Do you need help sweetheart?," he asked with concern, careful to not get too close or intimidate the child. He didn't want to upset the kid, and he knew how it might freak out a parent if they showed up and he was too close. The girl still didn't seem afraid, and she had an odd look on her face as she stared into his eyes intently. Like she was making a decision. Lifting a small hand, she reached up and placed it on his cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Abby knew that she had to tell the nice man about Mommy, but words wouldn't come. She wasn't so good with words and she didn't want to make a mistake. So instead she put her hand on his face and pushed.

When Abby pushed with her mind at Mommy, it was like trying to move through a pile of fluffy blankets. Mommy would smile, but Abby knew that Mommy didn't really hear her. Once Abby had pushed at Miss Susan with her mind, but all it did was make Miss Susan look at her funny and make Walter run away with his tail puffed out. With this man, it was easy, like walking through a wide open door. Just by thinking she told him her name, and all about Miss Susan and the cats and Dr. Pete and everything. She saw his greeny-blue eyes open wide and he made a little surprised gasp.

Then, for the first time in her entire life, someone pushed back!

Suddenly, she knew that the giant man's name was Sam and that the black car was named Baby and that Sam was here with his brother Dean. She knew that Sam was a good person even though he could be scary and dangerous when he wanted to be. Sam and Dean hunted monsters and saved people. Abby could tell that Sam was a lot older than he looked...hundreds and hundreds of years older, and that a lot of bad things had happened to him. Sam's thoughts went into her brain faster than she could think about them. There were flashes of people's faces. A man with green eyes and freckles, a blonde lady, a young man with golden glowing eyes, a redheaded lady wearing a fancy dress. There were also flashes of dark things, fire, and shadows, guns and knives and pain, lots of pain. Then, before she got too scared, Sam stopped. It was like when Mommy watered the flowers. She put her thumb over the end of the hose to make the gush of water into a trickle. She said that the flowers were delicate and she didn't want the water to break them. Abby knew that Sam had put his thumb over his memories to keep her safe. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder to catch her breath.

Now that she could think again, she thought about Mommy, and how she needed help. She could see the skin between Sam's eyes wrinkle up with worry. He was worried about Mommy too. Abby sighed, it was nice to not have to work hard to get him to understand. Now that she had found someone to help Mommy, Abby was tired and cold and she wanted to go home. She moved her hand from his cheek to touched the funny wrinkle between his eyes.

Sam wrapped a long arm around her and pulled her closer to his chest, tucked under the side of his jacket. Then he stood up. It was pretty high, so she put her arms around Sam's neck to hold on. He was warm, so she snuggled in a little closer. Abby heard a voice behind her and knew that it was Dean, Sam's brother. She could feel the love that Sam had for his brother. It was part of all of Sam's thoughts, like a glow that covered everything else, and it was nice. She closed her eyes, feeling safe.

xxxxxxx

Dean shook Roger's hand. It had been cool speaking about the quirks and intricacies of a vintage Chevy engine with someone who understood what he was talking about. This afternoon had been awesome. It had been a rough few days, and Dean had been looking forward to getting back to the bunker. But when Sammy had showed him the poster, he'd changed his mind. They needed a break from the frustrating search for a way to rescue Mom and Jack. And the idea of spending a sunny afternoon with his brother doing something as normal as visiting a small local car show, had been too tempting to pass up.

Turning, Dean looked back towards Baby. She wasn't quite as dolled up as some of the beauties on display, but she held her own amongst the crowd of show cars. Sam was supposed to be hanging out by the car, but Dean didn't see him at first. He thought that maybe the younger man had gone to get another one of those fruit kabobs he liked so much. But then he saw Sam stand up from the other side of the car.

His brother had a small child in his arms. A cute little blonde girl, by the looks of it. Leave it to Sammy to find a lost kid. Well, they could take her to the "Care and Assistance" tent before they headed out. It was funny to see a big guy like Sam with such a tiny kid. It actually brought up a fleeting memory of Dad holding Sammy when he was small.

The little girl also brought to mind Jessica. Once, Dean had imagined a different life for Sam. One with a wife and kids where his brother was safe and happy. Sam had wanted that too. But that dream was taken away from Sam a long time ago. Dean felt sad, his brother has been through so much - too much, and every year it seemed that the universe heaped more and more into his broad shoulders. Sammy deserved so much better than that, better than what Dean had ever been able to give to him.

Shaking away his sappy thoughts, he met Sam's eyes as he came around the car. Dean knew instantly that something was going on, something more than a lost little girl.

"Heya Sammy. Whose this?," he said keeping his voice and question soft so that he didn't freak the kid out. The child just snuggled a little closer to Sam's neck.

"Hey Dean, this is Abby. She needs our help." Sam shifted the little girl a bit and tugged on the car handle, checking that it was locked, then he turned and headed towards the edge of the park. He was moving with the sense of urgency that Sam usually reserved for a job.

"Wait, Sam. Where are you going?" Dean hurried to catch up. If they had work to do, then why wouldn't they bring the car, or at least grab the weapons bag that was stowed in the trunk? Dean lengthened his stride to keep up with Sam's longer legs, and reached out to grab his arm, dragging him to a stop. Abby turned and looked at him with big grey-blue eyes. At first the little girl seemed to stare into Dean's soul, causing him to take half a step back, but then she blinked sleepily and she was just an innocent child again. Still, there was something about this kid that made Dean wary. Sam tugged his arm free and kept walking, although a bit slower now as he answered Dean's question.

"Abby's mother is sick, in her car a couple of blocks from here. We need to help her," Sam said simply.

"That's too bad," Dean said, mostly for the benefit of the child who was still blinking at him. He caught Sam's eye. "But is it really the sort of thing we should get involved in?" Dean knew Sam was soft hearted when it came to little kids, but if it wasn't a supernatural problem, then this sort of issue was best left to the cops. Sam shot him one of his more ferocious bitchfaces.

"Dean, we're here anyway. And we're not doing anything important right now. The least we can do is check on her mom," Sam replied. Dean didn't know how to respond to that. Sam had a point and he didn't want to say more in front of the kid. It was seldom that Sam took charge or asked for very much, so with a sigh, Dean just followed his brother and the child.

After a couple of short blocks, Sam stopped next to a sliver Toyota parked haphazardly in the parking lot of a church. Dean could see an woman, slumped over the steering wheel, blonde ponytail obscuring her face. He pulled open the driver's door, and carefully tilted her head back against the seat, checking for a pulse. Her skin was clammy and her heartbeat was too fast, she looked very pale, even though Dean couldn't see any blood

"Hey there Miss, time to wake up," Dean said, tapping her cheek trying to get a response from the unconscious woman.

"Her name is Melissa," Sam offered helpfully. Dean shot him a look. How the hell did he know her name? Dean hadn't heard the kid say a single word. Turning back to the woman, he noticed a medical bracelet on her wrist and lifted her hand to take a look.

"Well, apparently Melissa here is diabetic. We need to get her to the hospital, Sam." Dean could do a lot of field medicine, but things like this needed professional intervention.

"Abby says they were coming from the hospital, so it's not very far away." With that, Sam pulled open the back door and set the little girl down on the seat. Dean watched as Abby walked over to the car seat, climbed in and waited patiently for Sam to buckle up the complicated harness.

"Guess I'll drive," Dean muttered to himself. He gently scooped up the woman and slid her in the back seat beside her daughter. As Sam finished getting Abby locked into her seat, the little girl turned her head to look at her unconscious mother. The little girl's lower lip started to tremble and Dean figured he had less than 10 seconds until Abby started to cry.

"Hey Abby, your Mom's going to be fine. We'll just her to the hospital and the doctors will fix her right up." Dean was spinning the line automatically. He had no idea what was going to happen to Abby's mother, but he was trying to prevent a meltdown. He glanced up to offer what he hoped was a reassuring smile for the child. Instead she narrowed her eyes at him as if she was trying to figure him out. Either way, he decided that since she wasn't crying, he'd take the win. Closing the door, he slid into the driver's side, fumbling for the lever so that his knees were clear of the steering wheel. Damn these things were small. Sam was already folded into the passenger seat, although how he managed it, Dean had no idea.

Using his phone as a guide, Sam provided directions. It only took about 5 minutes before Dean was pulling into the parking by emergency at the hospital. He parked the car, then moved to pull Melissa from the back of the car.

"Sam, grab her purse, then get Abby," Dean instructed as he quickly headed towards the sliding doors. He truly hoped that the woman in his arms would be okay, but Dean was looking forward to passing her off to some medical professionals and then hitting the road with Sam. They had much bigger things going on than one kid and her mom. As he cleared the doors, Dean raised his voice.

"Hey, need a little help here!" A nurse came forward and motioned towards a nearby gurney. As he set Melissa down gently, the nurse began her triage.

"What happened to her?," the nurse began, shooting a suspicious look at Dean.

"Look, we just found her unconscious in her car. But, she's got one of those medical bracelet thingies." Dean wasn't going to get the stink eye from some random nurse when he and Sam were just being the good guys. He could sense Sam come up behind him and stepped back to let his brother deal with the nurse, and to let Abby see her mom.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean stepped back into the waiting room after settling Baby safely in the visitors parking. Originally, he'd gone to a little shop across the street from the hospital to pick up some coffee for him and Sam, but instead he'd run into Roger. The guy gave Dean a ride his beautiful yellow Impala back to the park. Roger's car was pretty sweet, but nothing could compare to Dean's own black beauty, and he felt a lot more comfortable having the car and her contents closer at hand.

He'd only been gone half an hour or so, but he still felt a little anxious about leaving Sam alone at the hospital. Dean knew it was irrational, Sam wasn't hurt or in danger right now, but it didn't matter. Over the years he had spent far too many days sitting by his brother's hospital bed. That feeling of helplessness as Sam lay injured or worse dying, never really left him.

Sam was standing in the middle of the waiting room, talking quietly with a doctor. Abby was fast asleep on one of the chairs against the wall, Sam's jacket was draped over her, practically swallowing up the little girl. Dean walked up to his brother just as the doctor shook Sam's hand and left.

"Hey," he said quietly. Pointing with his chin at the door the doctor went through, "What did he say?," Dean asked.

"Melissa's blood sugar got too low, but she's going to be fine." Sam glanced over at the child still asleep under his coat. Dean followed his gaze. "The doctor said that they're just settling Melissa into a room then we can bring Abby in to see her mom." Sam started to head in the direction of the sleeping girl, but Dean held up a hand to stop him.

"Yeah, about that, Sam." Dean sighed, reluctant to sound like the bad guy. "What are we doing here? I mean, we played good samaritan sure, but this woman and her kid really aren't our problem." Dean was honestly curious about why Sam was so connected to this kid. Sam dragged a hand down his face, and cleared his throat.

"Look, Abby doesn't have anyone else right now and she's scared. The nurse called the woman who babysits for Melissa, but she's not picking up. Dean…" Sam pleaded, "I told them I'm Abby's uncle."

Dean sighed again.

"Why would you take that risk Sam?" Dean admired Sam's caring and kind nature, but he had only met the little girl about an hour ago.

"They were going to send her to CPS overnight. And...and I remember what that felt like when it happened to me, so I told them I was her uncle." Sam confessed, staring at his feet.

"What! When the hell did you ever end up with CPS as a kid?," Dean hissed, trying to keep his voice down as a woman glanced up from a magazine she was reading. He had spent his 18 years making damn sure that the authorities never had an opportunity to take Sam from him. It had been his biggest fear, and there was no way Dean would ever forget it if Sammy had been put into care, even for a night.

"Uh, it was while you were...it was during the two months you spent at Sonny's." Sam looked up at him, but then hung his head again. Dean was shocked.

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about this Sam!" It was bad enough that he'd left Sam alone for two months while he enjoyed being normal at Sonny's, but finding out that he'd almost lost his brother into the system...Dean could feel a familiar surge of guilt. That and anger at his father that John could let something like that happen. It didn't matter that it was a lifetime ago, he still felt slightly panicked thinking about the idea.

"Because what was the point in telling you? It was just one night. Pastor Jim got me out the next day. A few days later we came to get you and I was just so glad to get you back, that I didn't want to upset you," Sam explained. Dean had never truly realized just how much he was missed. Those two months were lonely and terrifying. He'd done his best as a child to forget all about that time.

Dean just shook his head. That was Sam, always worrying about everyone else's feelings. Dean rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and glanced over at Abby. The past was in the past, and how long could it really take to reunite the little girl with her mother.

"Fine, we'll talk about this some more later," Dean said, capitulating. "Is the nurse going to let us know when we can bring Abby to her Mom?" Sam nodded.

"Yeah. Now that you're back, I'm going to hit the head before the nurse comes. Can you keep an eye on her,?" Sam asked waving a hand in Abby's direction.

"Yeah, yeah, I got her Tiny-Bladder Boy!," Dean teased good naturedly, trying to show his brother that he had let go of his anger and frustration. As Sam made his way down a hallway to the bathroom, Dean went over to sit beside the little girl.

xxxxxx

Abby wasn't really sleeping. She just had her eyes closed and was being very still. Sometimes when there were too many people, too much noise, and far too many sparkles, she felt funny and scared, like it was hard to breathe. It was easier to pretend to be asleep. That way nobody talked to her and she could wait until she felt better.

Abby saw Dean come back. She had her eyes almost closed, so she could watch through her eyelashes. She had been looking at Sam's sparkles as he talked to the doctor. His sparkles stayed shiny so she knew Mommy was OK. Then his brother came back. Abby really looked at Dean's sparkles for the first time. Dean's sparkles were a lot like Sam's but different somehow. Maybe they were the same colours but darker. Like her crayons. Dean had magneta sparkles instead of pink ones and violet instead of purple. Sam had silver and gold sparkles, but Dean had other metal colours...like a shiny penny or the third place medal Miss Susan got.

It wasn't until Dean touched Sam's arm that Abby noticed. She almost opened her eyes then. Sam and Dean's sparkles combined into one big cloud all over them both. In all the people Abby had seen, that never happened - even when Mommy hugged Miss Susan, their sparkles stayed separate. Abby could see that Dean's sparkles made Sam's shine brighter and Sam's colours made Dean's twinkle more. It was amazing. These two men were strange, but Abby felt that there was something special about them. Abby watched as the brothers talked. They seemed a bit upset, so she stayed still. But then Sam went down the hall, and Dean came over to sit beside her. She was too curious to pretend to sleep anymore.

Sam's jacket smelled like him and was warm, but it was heavy. When she sat up, it started to slide and Dean reached out to help catch it. She looked at Dean. He had really pretty eyes - green like Casper's, and he smiled at her. His smile made him seem less scary.

"Hey Abby, we're gonna go see your Mom soon," he said as he put Sam's coat over the side of the chair. Abby held onto the back of the chair and stood up. Mommy told her that staring wasn't nice, but Dean was staring at her first, so she stuck her tongue out at him. And he did it back! Abby had to laugh, he was funny for a grown up. Maybe he was nice after all. Sam sure loved him more than anything. Unable to help herself, Abby reached out and touched his face. The little hairs on his cheek were soft. Then she pushed.

Pushing at Sam was easy. Pushing at Dean wasn't so easy. At first it felt like pushing a hard wall, but then something changed and it felt like pushing through the water at the pool. Dean's eyes got big and he stared at her. He didn't push back like Sam. Maybe he didn't know how. But Abby still knew some things because his brain seemed to leak into hers. It wasn't clear like with Sam, but she could still tell. She knew that Dean was a good person but that he was afraid he was actually a bad person. She knew he was worried about his brother, and the blonde lady and young man, who were someplace far away. She knew that he was very tired. But the biggest thing Abby knew was that Dean loves Sam more than anything else in the whole world. Abby thought that his love for Sam was like sunshine, making all his dark places brighter, and his bright places glow.

In an instant, Abby told him told him everything she had told Sam. About Mommy and Miss Susan, Casper and Walter and Dr. Pete and the puzzle he gave her. She even told him about the sparkles that he and Sam shared. She smiled at him because this way was so much simpler than trying to talk. It was nice that Dean could understand. After couple of minutes, he gently gripped her wrist and pulled her hand away from his cheek. He looked at her as if he was trying to figure her out, just like Dr. Pete.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Special thank you to all my reviewers: OldGirl-NoraArlani, shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod, MichelleAKF, ItzAGoodThing, sjwmaw, laureleaf and Guest!

"What was that?," Dean breathed, talking to himself more than to the child in front of him. Dean's mind was reeling. He had no idea what had just happened. It was as if Abby had spoken directly into his mind, but not with words. Instead it was a series of images and feelings and concepts way too complicated for a young child. He was tempted to pull out the silver and holy water to test her, but in everything she had shared, there was no evil intent and no sense of magic or angels. Before he could decide, the little girl tilted her head to the side, climbed over the side of the chair, and wrapped her arms around his neck with a contented sigh. Dean automatically made sure she didn't fall by keeping his hold on her tiny wrist and then putting his arm around her. She rested her head against his neck and settled against him like she'd known him her whole life. It was kind of nice.

As Dean sat holding the child, he realized that Abby must have been communicating with Sam through this crazy telepathic thing ever since they had met. And Sam never felt the need to tell him that the child was super powered or something! _"Dammit Sammy!"_ he thought. Dean was still processing this fact when Sam came back into the waiting room. Standing, he walked over to meet his brother halfway.

"Guess what Sam?," he said with a significant look. "Abby here, has been telling me all about herself - with her brain!" Sam blanched a little, giving away the fact that Dean was right, Sam already knew this startling fact. "So, when were you going to tell me about this interesting tidbit?" Dean wanted to growl at Sam but he was very aware of the little warm body curled up against his shoulder so he tried to stay calm.

"Dean," Sam began. "Look, I wasn't trying to hide it, but I didn't know how to tell you. I've never been able to do that before. I didn't even know it was possible, so I just needed some time to figure out what's going on before I looped you in." Dean could tell by Sam's earnest expression that his brother was telling the truth and that the kid felt horribly guilty. Then his brain caught up with what Sam had actually said. He stepped closer forcing Sam to meet his eyes.

"Wait. What? Are you telling me that you can talk to people with your mind? What the hell Sam!" Dean turned away and dragged his free hand down his face. "Jesus, Sammy! You're just full of surprises today." Sam grabbed his arm but kept his voice low.

"Look, I'm sorry. I told you, I've never had this happen before. I didn't even know I could until Abby did it to me." Sam looked like he had more to say, but just then a nurse appeared at Dean's elbow.

"If you'll come with me, we've got Ms. Murray settled into her room. I'll take you to her." Without waiting for a response, the nurse turned and headed through a set of double doors.

"We're not done talking about this, Sam," grumbled Dean as he began to follow the nurse. He was feeling off balance and that made him grumpy. Sure, Sam was a grown man now, but if he was being honest, Dean simply hated that there were still things about his kid brother that he didn't know. Sam grabbed his jacket from where Dean had left it, and they made their way down a series of corridors that all looked pretty much the same. The banal sameness was one of the things Dean hated the most about hospitals - well that and the fact that people he cared about kept ending up in them. The nurse stopped at a door.

"Ms. Murray is doing fine, but it would be best if you didn't tire her out too much, OK?," and with that the nurse pushed open the door and gestured them into the room.

xxxxxxx

The blonde woman in the bed looked pale and shaky, but other than a couple of IV lines in one arm, she seemed comfortable and alert. Apparently Abby didn't agree because Dean heard a soft gasp and the little girl stiffened in his arms. Dean figured the tears he had staved off before were about to appear. Melissa flashed a warm smile when she saw her daughter, although she was obviously puzzled about the two tall strangers.

"Hi Abby," she said as she stretched her arms out towards her child. Dean stepped forward and carefully put the little girl next to her mother on the bed. She pulled the girl in for a hug.

"Mommy, are you OK?" Abby asked in a soft but clear voice. Dean hadn't been sure if the girl could even speak, so he was a bit surprised to hear her talking.

"I'm fine, honey," Melissa said, brushing Abby's hair away from her face and giving the girl a kiss on the forehead before tucking the little girl beneath her arm. She had the grey-blue eyes, and blonde curls that she had passed on to her daughter. "Who are your friends?," she asked although the question was obviously directed towards the two men. At least she seemed more curious than concerned.

"Uh, Hi. I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean..." Sam trailed off. Dean was puzzled to see a deep sorrow cloud Sam's eyes as he stared at Melissa. Dean sighed again. Apparently he wasn't the only one to notice this woman's resemblance to Sam's lost Jessica. Dean took pity on the kid and took over the explanation.

"Hi. Um, when you passed out, Abby came looking for help and found Sam." Dean smiled at the mother and daughter. "Abby led us back to where you'd parked the car and we brought you here to the hospital." Melissa looked a little shocked and turned to the little girl who was still happily tucked under her arm, playing with the edge of the bedcovers.

"Mommy's very proud of you sweetheart. But, I thought you were afraid of people you don't know?." Dean had a feeling that Melissa would be giving Abby the "stranger danger" talk very soon. Abby just shrugged.

"His sparkles were special," the girl explained as if the adults in the room were all slightly stupid. Dean had to suppress a laugh at that. "Besides, Sam is my uncle," she finished with a giggle and went back to tracing the weave on the blanket. Melissa definitely looked confused.

"Uh, yeah. About that." Sam scratched the back of his neck as he confessed. "They weren't able to reach Susan Goldman, your emergency contact, so they were going to get a social worker involved." Melissa squeezed Abby closer to her side, in an intensely protective gesture that Dean was oh, so familiar with. Dean guessed that Sam had made the right call in lying to the hospital staff. "I kinda told the nurse that I was your brother-in-law." Sam looked kind of sheepish, but his tone conveyed his honest intentions. Besides, he was giving Melissa the full puppy dog eyes, so Dean knew that there was no way the woman could be angry with his brother.

"Um, thank you," Melissa replied sincerely. She brushed a hand across her daughter's soft curls. "Abby is a very special girl. She wouldn't do very well in foster care. Usually only Susan or I can touch her without a meltdown." She looked down at Abby fondly. "I'm surprised that she took to you so quickly." Sam looked away, his cheeks a little red.

"Yeah, kids are generally afraid of me." At Sam's comment, Abby struggled to her feet on the bed, then flung her little body at Sam. Dean could hear the woosh of air as she slammed into Sam's stomach and his brother caught her in a loose grip. She stared up at Sam, ignoring the shocked look on her Mom's face.

"You're not scary Sam!" She hugged Sam's middle tightly. Dean just caught the look on Sammy's face before he tipped his head down, covering his expression with his hair. His brother was deeply touched by this child, and Dean couldn't help the smile that crept across his own face at the sight of her blonde head tucked under Sam's darker one. The smile faded as Dean once more thought about everything Sam had lost.

The sweet scene was interrupted by a knock on the open door. The woman standing at the threshold looked to be in her early 50's. She looked a bit flustered and out of breath. Her cardigan was misbuttoned, a large purse was hanging open off her arm, threatening to dump it's contents all over the floor, and there was a flush on her plump cheeks as if she had been running.

"Melissa, sweetie, are you okay?," she asked with a nervous glance at Dean. At the sound of the woman's voice, Abby loosened her grip around Sam and smiled at the woman.

"Susan!," said Melissa, obviously happy to see a familiar face. "Don't worry, I'm going to be fine. But, I thought that they couldn't reach you?"

"Well, I forgot my phone in the car while I was getting my hair done, so I didn't get the messages right away. When I heard that you were in the hospital, I drove straight here." She shot another worried look at Sam' whose arm was still around Abby, protecting her from falling off the high hospital bed.

"Susan, this is Sam, and that's Dean. Abby found them, and they saved me." Melissa explained with a grateful look. The change in Susan was immediate. Her expression went from nervous to accepting in a heartbeat.

"Well, bless you both," she said warmly, patting Sam's arm with one hand and using the other to cup Abby's face. "Thank you for looking after my two favorite girls." She bent and kissed Abby's forehead.

Dean cleared his throat. With Susan here to look after Abby, there was no need to stick around any longer and this whole scene was turning into a soap opera. Sam sought out Dean's eyes and recognized his need to get going. Sam carefully let go of the little girl once she had her balance. Abby sat down at the end of the bed in front of where the two brothers stood.

Another knock on the door startled Susan who had moved to fuss with Melissa's covers in a motherly way.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said the nurse from earlier, "but I need someone to help complete some paperwork, and I think it's time we let Ms Murray get some rest."

"Of course," said Susan, obviously used to being in charge. She patted Melissa's hand. "I'll take care of this dear, then I'll come get Abby and we'll go have some dinner down in the cafeteria." Then the older woman followed the nurse out the door. Melissa seemed to have spent all her energy because she just weakly waved her approval.

"Well Melissa, it seems that Susan has things under control. Sam and I have to get going, but I'm glad you're going to be okay," said Dean. Turning to Abby, he laid a hand on her blonde head. "It was nice to meet you too, kiddo." Sam opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then closed it and just smiled instead. As Dean turned to go, he felt a little hand grab onto his jacket.

"Wait," said Abby. Both brothers turned back towards the little girl. Using Dean's arm to stand up again, she looked serious. "I want to give you something for helping Mommy." Sam opened his mouth again, no doubt to refuse thanks for something that they both saw as the right thing to do. But before he could speak Abby reached up and touched Sam's face again. Dean figured she wanted to say goodbye in her freaky mind-meld way, but then she turned and put her fingers against his cheek too.


	5. Chapter 5

Abby wanted to do something nice for Sam and Dean. They had helped Mommy and she liked them, but she knew that they were going to go away. They needed to help other people, and find their Mommy and Jack, the blonde lady and golden eyed teenager in their thoughts. When she had been hugging Sam, she could feel that he was sad. Sam sometimes felt that he was broken, and that no one could love him, so he liked her hug, but it made him sad too. Abby thought of the best way she could thank the brothers for their help. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't know how to do it. Then, just like the puzzle, something clicked in her brain and she knew exactly what to do. Reaching up, she put a hand on each of their faces.

She'd never done this before, but as she touched them, she could feel her own sparkles flow up and then down her arms until she was ready. Then she pushed and pulled at the same time. It was a little like that time when Miss Susan had let her ride her sled down the hill, exciting and scary and fun all at the same time. She could almost feel wind move her hair, the feeling was so strong. Abby had to close her eyes and just let it happen. What she wanted to do was show Sam and Dean how much they loved each other.

xxxxxxx

At first Dean felt Abby in his mind again. It was faster this time. The little girl just walked right into his head as if it was nothing. She seemed to be searching for something. Dean knew he should pull away from her hand. After all, there were huge chunks of his memories and thoughts that were entirely inappropriate for a child to see or know. Plus, he didn't like the idea of anyone, even a sweet little girl poking around in his noggin. But he felt frozen in place, as if her gentle fingers on his face formed a link between them. Dean didn't know how to block off the parts of his brain that could hurt or terrify Abby, but he did know that he could direct his mind away from his memories of Hell, or his time in Purgatory. He tried to find something to focus on before she stumbled into something damaging. Looking up he saw Sam and as they often did, his memories turned to his little brother. Dean remembered the first time he had looked into Sam's face.

It was funny. He had been younger than Abby was now. He couldn't remember his father's strong hands lifting him up to his mother's bed. He couldn't remember the sounds or the smells of the hospital. Hell, he couldn't clearly remember his mother's face, but somehow he could distinctly remember looking at the tiny bundle of blue blankets his mother had placed into his small arms. Sammy had been little more than a pink scrunch of rosebud lips and dark eyelashes, but as Dean looked at him, even at 4 years old he had felt the love for his brother swell within him.

Abby seemed to stop and watch that memory. Normally Dean would have done everything in his power to keep that private, but Abby's presence didn't feel intrusive. Instead, it felt like she had found what she was looking for. Almost like following a string, she traced his feelings for Sam outward from that first source memory through all the countless times he felt love for his brother. Dean felt a delicate tug and he gasped. With a tender insistence, Abby was drawing his feelings from him - not to take them away, but to stretch them beyond himself. Dean slapped a hand over hers, but didn't pull her fingers from his face. His eyes snapped to Sam's.

xxxxxxx

At first when Sam felt Abby enter his mind again, he thought she was just saying goodbye. He carefully checked that the doors within himself that hid the memories of his unspeakable horrors and all of his most broken parts were firmly shut. Then he reached out to say goodbye. But Abby was searching for something. He offered to help, but she ignored him, intent on exploring his memories and thoughts. Part of Sam cringed. This felt similar in some ways to the many times he had been violated against his will by ghosts, demons, angels. But a bigger part could feel the benevolent innocence of the young girl, and it was somehow soothing. He stayed where he was for now and let her look through his mind. He wondered what his brother thought about having Abby in his head. Sam was actually surprised that Dean hadn't broken away from the little girl. His brother had always been uncomfortable with any sort of psychic thing. Dean preferred things he could touch, taste, see and kill. Normally the last thing Dean would want was to have someone inside his head. Thinking about his brother seemed to draw Abby's attention. She followed his thought back to one of Sam's earliest memories.

He was too young to remember the details - Dean would know, but Sam just remembered the storm. Dean and he were alone at night in some crappy motel room Dad had left them in. Dean couldn't have been much more than eight years old. There was a fierce rain storm. The lightning and thunder were almost constant and the sound had startled him out of his sleep. Sam remembered being terrified as thunder crashed and the building was pelted with hailstones. But Dean had made a fort out of the sheets and blankets and had cuddled Sam for hours, calming him down and distracting him with games and stories. Finally when the storm had rolled away, he remembered being curled up in Dean's arms and feeling such love for his big brother that he thought he would explode.

It was a good memory, although Sam was puzzled that Abby had tracked it down. Then he felt a pulling, as if she were dragging that memory and all the others that evoked the same feeling, that same love for Dean, outwards towards herself. Then, somehow, inexplicably, Sam felt something new. Tentatively he reached out with his mind. His eyes shot up to meet Dean's. His brother's green eyes were wide, not with fear, but with awe.

"Sammy," Dean whispered, reaching out a hand as if to catch his balance. Sam instinctively stuck out his arm and Dean grabbed it. When Dean's hand touched the bare skin of his wrist, it was like completing an electrical circuit. Sam heard Abby to gasp as a wave of pure emotion surged through the three of them.

Sam felt Dean's love for him with an intensity that was almost too much to bear. His eyes were locked with Dean's. He felt every time Dean had cared for him, rescued him, praised him, teased him, hugged him - everything that made Sam feel capable and worthy and loved. Tears sprung into his eyes. Dean had once said that there was nothing that he would ever put above Sam, and for the first time, Sam understood the depth and breadth of what Dean truly felt. It was amazing. Sam impulsively sent a surge of love back through the link to his brother.

xxxxxx

Dean couldn't really understand what was happening. First he had felt stretched and distorted as the little girl, still touching his face, had pulled his feelings down the connection she had created. Then when he had touched Sam's arm something had changed. Dean had been shocked to actually feel Sam's mind, both new and strange yet intensely familiar at the same time. As he stared into Sam's eyes, he could feel his love for his brother flowing through him, via Abby to Sam. Dean knew that his love for Sam was the best part of him. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Sam, and somehow through this connection, he was able to tell Sam that in more than words. Dean watched as tears of joy gathered in Sam's eyes, a swell of pride rising in his own heart. He should feel embarrassed that this child had exposed every soft, vulnerable part of his soul to his brother, but he just didn't.

Then in a rush of emotion, he felt Sam reach into his mind. Where Dean's emotions seemed to flood out of him in a tidal surge of feeling, Sam's feeling poured into his in a gentle flow. Dean felt more and more loved, almost beyond what he could accept. Always he had felt unworthy of Sam, but now he was feeling everything. Every moment when Sam admired him, cared for him, teased him, worried for him, hugged him - all of it just washed over the barriers he usually used to protect himself. There was no judgement or anger or resentment from Sam. Dean could feel his own eyes grow damp, as he was awed by the depth and breadth of what Sam truly felt for him. It soothed a part of Dean's soul that he didn't know was raw.

xxxxxx

Abby was panting. This connection between the three of them was making her really tired. She wanted to cry and laugh and jump with all the feelings that were going through her. Like when Mommy swished a spider down the drain, Abby felt like she was getting washed away in everything flowing through her between Sam and Dean. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was inside their cloud of sparkles. It was so pretty, but it hurt her eyes and she couldn't catch her breath. She wanted to stop, but she didn't know how exactly. She felt dizzy and the sparkles dancing in her eyes made her tummy feel sick. For the first time Abby was a little scared. Abby heard a little squeak, like a mouse, but it was her that made the noise. She felt Dean look at her for a second then he was pulling her hand away from his face.

Moving her fingers from his skin seemed to break the flow. She still felt their feelings, but it was calmer now. She didn't feel so weird. Sam also pulled her hand away from his cheek. Abby only felt the leftover parts of their feelings now, but her legs felt funny and she wanted to sit down.

"Abby, are you okay," Sam asked. The wrinkle in his forehead was back. Now that it was only her thoughts inside of herself, she felt better, but still kind of shaky. She felt Sam's big hand on her back helping her sit. She plopped right down on the bed by Mommy's legs. It was funny. Abby felt like a lot had happened, but when she looked at Mommy, her eyes were closed. Mommy had fallen asleep. That seemed like a good idea. She was so tired. Dean reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ears.

"You good, Abby?," Dean asked. They were both staring down at her and Abby could tell they were worried about her. She smiled at them, so happy that she was able to make her present happen.

"Just sleepy," she finally found the words to say. She snuggled down into the thin blanket next to Mommy, but made her eyes stay open to watch them. Their sparkles were so amazing. Some of the darker colours in Dean's sparkles had moved to Sam and some of his bright sparkles had moved to Dean. So pretty. Then Miss Susan came back into the room.

"Oh goodness, sorry that took so long," Miss Susan said. Abby just couldn't keep her eyes open any more. She felt when Miss Susan rubbed her back, but then she fell asleep.

xxxxxxx

"Poor munchkin, she's had a very stressful day, hasn't she," Susan whispered as Abby fell asleep right under her hand. "Thank you gentlemen for taking care of Melissa and Abby. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't found them? It's nice to know that there are still good men in this world." Dean smiled wryly, as Susan spoke she was casually ushering them to the door. Dean didn't mind, the experience they'd just been through was both wonderful and confusing. He felt exposed and a little freaked out, so he was glad to be making their escape.

"No problem, it was nice to meet you," said Sam, ever the polite one. "Please say goodbye to Melissa and Abby for us." Then with a nod at the older woman, Dean made for the exit. He was hyper aware of his brother at his side as he walked out of the sliding glass door and headed towards where he'd parked the car. The shape of his Baby helped Dean feel a little less out of control. He was still trying to sort through what exactly had happened back there when he pulled open the door and dropped into the familiar comfort of the driver's seat. Dean shoved the key into the ignition, but didn't turn it as Sam closed the door on his side. They sat in silence for a while until Sam cleared his throat.

Dean wasn't sure he could handle anything else right now. Knowing exactly how Sam felt about him was a wonderful gift, but it had stirred up emotions that Dean was used to keeping locked up. So, Dean spoke before his brother could.

"So, telepathic huh?," he turned towards Sam, a smile hopefully softening the question. Sam snorted softly.

"I guess, but I think it was Abby doing it. I don't think it's something that I can do by myself." Sam looked at him and Dean could see the faintest hint of fear in Sam's eyes. Dean just rolled his eyes. Hadn't he just finished pouring his heart and soul into this kid? How could Sam worry that Dean would reject him?

"Well, can you tell what I'm thinking now?," Dean asked Sam. The younger man narrowed his eyes.

"No, of course not.," Sam said.

"That's too bad, because if you could, you'd know that I am starving!," Dean said with a wink as he cranked the powerful engine to life. "Let's get out of here, grab some burgers and head back to the bunker." Sam huffed out a laugh and flashed a relieved smile at him.

"Sure, sounds good, Dean." With that, Sam settled back in his usual spot in the seat, head resting against the window. Dean snapped on the radio, and pulling the car out of the parking lot, pointed them towards home.

THE END

AN: Hope everyone enjoyed this, and that no one was disappointed with Abby's "gift" to the boys. Feel free to tell me your thoughts! Special thanks to all my readers and reviewers, your encouragement means the world.


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